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Intel Unveils “Vaunt” Smart Glasses

Intel’s Attempt at Smart Glasses

Google‘s attempt at smart glasses did not exactly go as well as they thought it would. The built-in camera, glowing LCD screen, floating screen lens, microphone and design creeped many people out. So much so that many users who would wear them in public have earned the moniker “glassholes”.

However, Intel is not completely shying away from attempting wearable glasses after this. Even if their own venture into wearables has not exactly been successful, having pulled out and cancelled many of their plans. The Verge has an exclusive hands-on look at Intel’s latest efforts called the ‘Vaunt’ smart glasses. The first thing that is obvious is that they look like regular glasses. With the exception of having thicker frames along the side.

How Does the Intel Vaunt Work?

Intel is keeping the design and function simple, making the Vaunt much more accessible and less daunting than the Google glass. It weighs just around 50 grams and it displays information using low-powered laser into your retina. The display graphic is a simple monocromatic red projector. This technology goes by ‘VCSEL’ which stands for Vertical-Cavity surface-emitting laser. It does not need eye focusing since it bounces directly into the user’s eyeballs. However, each glass has to be calibrated for each user prior to use. Specifically, the inter-pupillary distance between each eyeball must be measured and fitted accordingly.

Unlike the Google glass, Intel’s Vaunt is non-intrusive, so a simple glance forward and the graphics display is not blocking the user’s vision. Moreover, there is no fidgeting or gesturing necessary.

When is it Coming Out?

The Intel Vaunt is not going directly out to the public yet. Intel is opening an Early Access program later in 2018 for developers. Moreover, it is open for both Android and iOS development. Intel themselves will develop apps on their own and introduces a wide range of styles that users can choose from. Development of this technology is understandably costly, which is why Intel is opening it up to 3rd parties to develop a robust ecosystem. This kind of technology after all, relies on software heavily.

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